Social Worker / Case Manager
Professional Practice Leader, Social Work
Location: Parry Sound / Huntsville and Near North Region
Phone: (705) 787-7500 ext. 505
Toll Free: (866) 421-7575 ext. 505
Jody Downie, M.S.W., R.S.W.
Jody joined Brainworks in 2014, as Social Worker and Case Manager serving our ‘near north’ clients. She brings with her a Masters of Social Work degree, and extensive clinical experience counselling pediatric, youth and adult populations in home, clinic, and community-based settings. With her extraordinary leadership skills, Jody was promoted to the position of Professional Practice Leader, Social Work in 2017, overseeing Brainworks Social Work department and staff.
Highly skilled and knowledgeable, Jody has been providing personalized social services to individuals living with the effects of acquired brain injury, mood and personality disorders, chronic pain, trauma and abuse for over 25 years. Certified in holistic approaches to neurodevelopment and learning efficiency (HANDLE), Jody encompasses a client-centred model of care, to promote understanding of body-brain connections and the importance of mindfulness in day-to-day living. Aware of individual learning styles; social work sessions are geared toward personalized growth and development.
Through cohesive goal-based counselling, Jody helps her clients gain understanding of their physiological and functional deficits and to increase self-awareness and actualization by helping link sensory disturbance, and compromised cognitive, behavioural and motor functioning to mental health. To that end, she greatly values the collaborative input of treatment team partners providing complementary therapies.
With widespread experience, Jody is knowledgeable and can navigate legislations including Child and Family Services Act, Mental Health Act, and has direct involvement in child welfare, child maltreatment and child development. Proficient with a number of therapeutic interventions in individual, family and group counselling, Jody implements cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), emotion-focused therapy (EFT), narrative therapy, solution-focused therapy, play therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT).
Throughout her career, Jody remains motivated and inspired by the advancements of mindfulness, neuroscience and counselling. Adhering to her motto to always make a difference, it has been Jody’s passion to better understand root causes of behaviour and provide a holistic model of care, not only to help her clients and their families better understand but to provide them with continued acceptance and hope.